Microsoft faces a significant challenge: despite committing to become carbon-negative by 2030, its emissions have surged over 40% since 2020, largely due to the growth of its AI business. While the company has invested heavily in renewable energy, some emissions—like those from air travel—remain difficult to eliminate.
One potential solution is direct air capture (DAC), a method of extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Microsoft has been a strong supporter of DAC, both by funding startups and by pre-purchasing carbon credits. However, DAC technology is still in its early stages, with companies exploring various approaches to find the most cost-effective and efficient methods.
To accelerate progress, Microsoft announced a partnership with the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) to pre-purchase 10,000 metric tons of carbon removal over 10 years from Deep Sky, a DAC project developer. Unlike conventional DAC projects that focus on a single technology, Deep Sky is hosting a competitive initiative in Alberta, Canada. It will provide eight startups with the necessary infrastructure and resources to test their technologies side by side.
These startups will operate near a shared carbon storage well and use power sourced uniformly through a third party, allowing them to concentrate on refining their carbon removal processes. Deep Sky is also managing the permitting and securing solar power for operations, tackling some of the common hurdles in carbon storage projects, such as finding suitable sites.
Deep Sky expects the project to be operational by April, with Microsoft and RBC receiving their first carbon credits by June. Although the timeline is swift by DAC standards, it won't be enough to halt global warming. Still, if Deep Sky can identify an effective solution, it could contribute significantly to addressing the climate crisis.
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